


Punk

by Kyaraelf



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, First Dates, Inspired by Music, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Thor: The Dark World, Punk, Steve Rogers acts his age, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Steve Rogers's Metabolism, too many pastries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 15:17:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyaraelf/pseuds/Kyaraelf
Summary: Steve and Darcy discover a shared love of music over too many pastries and cappuccino on their first date.





	Punk

**Author's Note:**

> My muse has been on an extended vacation. Hopefully this isn't a fluke and I'll feel like writing more again. I have a multi-chapter fix I would really get back into.

Darcy felt cute. She had on a new dress. It was black with a purple eyelet overlay and the full skirt was not quite knee length. Don’t get her wrong, she still had on her Docs. Oh, and a black bucket hat. But she was wearing a dress dammit. It was a date. At least she thought it was a date. She hoped it was a date.

Ugh. If both she and Steve weren’t the awkward ducklings they both were, one of them would have been smart enough to clarify that ‘meet me for coffee’ meant ‘have a coffee date with me.’ No, he was all blushing and calling her Miss Lewis when he asked her to meet him at the coffee shop down the block from the Tower. And she was all finger guns and “Sure thing Tall, Blonde, and,” pausing to stop herself from saying handsome and finally, awkwardly blurting out, “Patriotic.” He looked so freakin’ disappointed when she said it too. Like she had stolen some kid’s ice cream or kicked a puppy or something horrible and disappointing.

Anyway, she didn’t think he’d ask her to go to a coffee shop to discuss work. Of course, with her being new to the Tower, maybe he just wanted to get to know her as a friend. That would be fine. Fine. Friends were good. Everybody needed a super-soldier friend. She was already friends with a god, why not a super-soldier too?

With that, less then rousing mental non-pep talk, she put her ear buds in, selected a punk mix she was favoring these days, and headed towards the coffee shop. Some good old angry punk music would help her from freaking out as she made her way to her maybe date. Less than ten minutes later she was walking into the shop and saw Steve Freakin’ Rogers stand up from a table laden with baked goods and two cappuccino cups. His smile was one of relief. Was he worried she was going to stand him up?

“Darcy, you came! I mean, um, so good to see you.” He said as he scuttled over to pull out a chair for her. As she sat down, she turned off her music and put away her earbuds. Then he added, “I hope you don’t mind that I ordered. I didn’t want you to have to wait.”

She took in the dozen or so different pastries and muffins to choose from, slightly in awe. “I love a good cappuccino but did you get one of everything? On one hand, that is freakin’ awesome. On the other, what are we going to do with the leftovers?”

The big, hulking man blushed like a little boy and that did things to Darcy. Naughty things. Who knew she had a blushing kink? She didn’t. Or she guessed that she did now. Sheepishly he said, “There probably won’t be any leftovers. I was injured yesterday and I need the extra calories.”

She had no idea how to respond to that so she simply said, “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

They sat there awkwardly. She was really starting to think that was all they were capable of with each other, awkwardness. Story of her life really. Either she verbally ran right over people or she was so freakin’ awkward it hurt. She reached for a plum and custard tart and started nibbling on it while wracking her brain for an ice breaker. Her brain was even more empty than usual.

Steve reached for a blueberry muffin. He ate it in two bites. Then while he reached for a lemon scone he asked, simple as can be, “Was that "The Decline", by NOFX you were listening to when you walked in?” 

Before her brain fully took in his question and all the different paths it was going to be led down, she smiled and replied, “Yeah, I love that song!”

“Oh, me too. Damn great lyrics.” He blushed again. Unf. Then Darcy’s brain came back online and flooded her with questions.

She half stood up, her right hand frantically waving in the air. “Wait, you could hear that? No, wait, wait, you listen to punk? Wait, wait, wait can you always hear what I’m listening to when you are in the room?” She paused to take half a breath. “Oh my Thor, how old are you?!”

He laughed. It was more of a chuckle. It was kind of a self-decrepitating chuckle. She didn’t like the sound of that. Oh no, he was starting to hate her and her stupid big mouth.

“I’m 94.” And there is that disappointed look that says someone knocked over Granny instead of helping her across the street.

But that wasn’t the answer to the question she wanted. He sure didn’t look 94 and she was finally truly realizing he didn’t act it either, no matter how many old-man jokes she heard Stark make at Steve’s expense. “No, that is how long your body has been on this planet. How much of that 94 years did you spend living?”

Now that is a smile she would love to see over and over and over again, especially if it was directed at her like it was now. It made him shine. Now there was adoration in his eyes and his face relaxed in places she didn’t even realize were tense before the smile. “I’m 28. It gets confusing because it isn’t like I went in the ice on my birthday and came out of it on my birthday.”

The smile was infectious. She was smiling right back at him. Matter of factly, she remarked, “Well whatever day you reach 29 we should celebrate!”

He laughed. Honest to Frigga happy laughter. “Yeah, maybe we should. Besides, I wouldn’t mind not having to share my birthday with Independence Day anymore.” They then sat and stared into each other’s eyes for a very sexually charged, if she was reading this right, moment.

“Now, back up and answer my other questions, you like punk? How do you even know punk? You’ve only been in the twenty-first century for like a year and a half. I know for a fact they didn’t have punk rock, or any kind of rock in WWII.” The brunette babbled without taking a breath.

Steve drawled back, “Funny thing is there has always been protest music and I loved Woody Guthrie back then”

Looking at him blankly Darcy replied, “I don’t follow. You mean “This Land Is Your Land” Woody Guthrie? What in the name of the Nine Realms does that have to do with Punk?”

His posture started to relax. There was a spark in his eyes that lead her to believe he was more than a little excited to be having this conversation with someone around his age. Other than Natasha, who isn’t your typical twenty-something, he really didn’t spend time with anyone mentally his age. “OK, so I asked Tony if I could use his AI, JARVIS, to help get me up to speed with my cultural learning and he said yes. Before that I was kind of hunting and pecking on the internet and going down so many YouTube and Wikipedia rabbit holes.”

Now it was Darcy’s turn to laugh. “We have all been there my man. So many times. Did you get sucked into Cat Memes too?”

He quickly ate a ham and cheese croissant before continuing. OK, the food thing and manners was definitely going to have to be addressed if there were more coffee dates. It was bizarre watching him house the food. He quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Sorry about that. I really should have eaten before I came. I only lost a few hours to Cat Memes. I was saved by getting called out into the field. Anyway, once I started working with JARVIS, we developed a syllabus of sorts for my cultural education.”

He scooted his seat a little to the right and leaned in toward her. “For the music we decided to start with the music I listened to before the War and follow a progression based on my opinions of the songs I heard. He threw in a few songs he called standards and classics and some of the biggest hits that still get referenced in today’s media but mostly wanted to stick to what I liked.”

With a big cheeky grin Darcy joked, “Greatest tactical mind in the world and you use it for conquering music history of the late twentieth century and then you went and fell in love with Punk. I love it. You’re my kind of guy!”

His face softened and he lightly said, “Well, you shouldn’t be on a date with a guy who isn’t.”

There it was. Confirmation. It really was a date. Hot damn! She felt her cheeks stretch with a giant smile. “Yeah, well good thing you are, my kind of guy that is.” Darcy slid her hand across the table and he took it in his. His hands were huge but graceful looking. As fair as he was, her skin still looked so pale against his. And he held her hand so gingerly like he wasn’t sure what to do. And then he went ahead and explained his carefulness it to her. “I’ve never held a gal’s hand before. Actually, this is the first time I asked someone on a date and not only did she say yes, but the date actually happened.”

“Oh Steve. I promise if you ask me again it won’t be the last.” She smiled at him, she hoped encouragingly. 

“Yeah, that’s good. I’d definitely like that.” He sighed and then comically loud, his stomach growled.

They both laughed. Darcy inched her chair closer to his and said, “Go ahead chow down and then tell me more about how Woody Guthrie is the musical ancestor of the Sex Pistols.”

Steve ate five more pastries while Darcy sipped on her cappuccino and finished her tart. He had the grace to look ashamed at how he was eating. “My mother would box my ears for my manners today. I really do know better. I just haven’t mastered the balance of how to take in all of the calories I need after a fight with not looking like I was raised in a barn.”

The brunette looked him straight in the eye and seriously said, “Don’t you go insulting horses like that Captain Rogers.”

He took in a sharp breath and started apologizing. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I thought that expression was still used. Really, I won’t use it again.”

Darcy erupted in laughter. “I’m punking you Steve. Seriously, just a joke.”

“Punking? Is that like teasing? It is a verb too?” he looked perplexed.

She felt horrible. She really didn’t mean to upset him. Was her sense of humor going to be a problem? “Oh yeah. That is it exactly. Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset. I just still have a lot to learn. I love your sense of humor by the way.” Well that was a relief to hear. And oh my Thor, there was that blush again.

He edged his seat closer to her. “I have to admit when JARVIS outlined some of the possible trajectories of how we’d travel through musical genres, the word Punk was actually a deciding factor.”

He had her intrigued. “What was it about the word punk that swayed you?” She could see how hard he was deliberating what he was about to say. At the same time, she took the initiative to finally move her chair right up against his. When she did, he let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders.

He smiled down at her. “So, my best friend, Bucky, he used to call me Punk. It was a really versatile insult and when he said it, well, he said it with love, so it took the sting away from when others used it.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder. Partially because it looked comfy and partially to give him a sense of privacy in this obviously intimate memory. Then she asked, “I didn’t realize the word predated the music genre.”

“Well, the music took the word from one of the ways it was used. Punk was a young aggressive trouble maker and it was also used for something worthless.” Steve paused and took a deep breath, obviously preparing himself to say something he didn’t really want to but felt he needed to. “It also was a term for a male prostitute. Lots of people assumed I was a fairy, um, excuse me, I mean gay, because I was so small. I never had anything against the qu… gays but I wasn’t, and I hated that I was bullied for something I wasn’t.”

“Damn bullies. I want to go back and time and tase them all.” She said without thinking.

Chuckling again, “Thor warned me you were a firecracker.” They sat there quietly for a minute or two. His thumb making gently circle where it lay on her arm. It was a comfortable silence and she sat a marveled at how comfortable she had already gotten with him. Heck, she even felt like she was getting close with him in a stupendously short amount of time. Then she felt his posture change. His back became straighter like he was preparing himself for battle. He put his hand under her chin and turned them so they were facing each other. “I know this isn’t exactly a private space but I know that people today are laxer about couples in public and I don’t want to wait. Darcy Lewis, may I kiss you?”

“Yum, consent is so sexy. Steve Rogers, yes, you can definitely kiss me.” 

He leaned down and gave her a soft tender kiss. He pulled back and sighed, “I think a guy could get used to being able to do that.”

She smirked at him, “Play your cards right and you can do a lot more than that after two more dates.”

She expected a bit of shock but what she got was a luscious smile that unlike anything she had seen grace his face before. He obviously knew about the three-date rule if the desire he was radiating was anything to go by. “How about dinner tomorrow and a punk concert in the Village on Friday?”

“Yes. Very yes. A thousand times yes. Oh, and by the way, I like the twenty-eight year old punk so much more than the stick up the butt Captain.”

“That’s a very good thing because the punk is who I really am.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I can so see Steve dressed for the punk concert. Combat pants, a graphic t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off, spiked up hair, black eyeliner. When Darcy asks if he is worried about being recognized he responds, “Do you really think anyone expects the 94-year-old soldier would be caught dead with eyeliner on? Nah, they’ll just think I look like me, not that I am me.” Darcy would respond, “Besides no one is going to look past those arms to look at your face?” 
> 
> I can’t entirely remember how this started. Or perhaps it started in two places and collided. Since joining this fandom I have been fascinated with the word punk. So that is one starting point. Unrelated to fandom, I’ve got a slight interest in protest music. I went down a rabbit hole one day and that is where “Go ahead chow down and then tell me more about how Woody Guthrie is the musical ancestor of the Sex Pistols” came from. It also led to me fantasizing about what Steve dressed as a punk rocker would look like. 
> 
> Oh, and please go at least read the lyrics to "The Decline", by NOFX.
> 
> Final note, I tried to keep the timeline canon-ish. This takes place in 2013 before both Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.


End file.
